Electric buggies used on Hanoi pedestrian streets

An electric car service was launched on the pedestrian streets around the Hoan Kiem Lake on September 17.
The service, which has been proposed by several travel companies, aims to help transport visitors from parking lots to sites along the pedestrian streets around Hoan Kiem Lake.
Two weeks after the experiment in pedestrianising the whole area around Hoan Kiem Lake, many people are complaining of the distance from parking lots.
Tourists dropped off from coaches also have to walk three kilometres from a parking lot on Tran Quang Khai Street to the Water Puppetry Theatre on Dinh Tien Hoang Street.
Director of the Centre for Hanoi Old Quarter services management, Vu Ha Thanh, said that the electric car service had already been included in the planning of this walking area.
"There will be three routes, and each can carry 10 passengers at price of VND100,000," Thanh said.
The streets around Hoan Kiem Lake including Dinh Tien Hoang, Le Lai, Le Thach, Dinh Le, Nguyen Xi, Trang Tien (from Ngo Quyen to Dinh Tien Hoang), Hang Khay, Le Thai To, Hang Trong (from St. Joseph’s Cathedral to Le Thai To), Nha Tho are all closed to traffic from 7pm to 2 am in summer and 6pm to 2 am in winter from Friday to Sunday and on some holidays.